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Category: Hunter Valley

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Museum of Art and Culture Lake Macquarie

The First Gallery Museum of Art and Culture Lake Macquarie

Museum of Art and Culture Lake Macquarie

The Museum of Art and Culture Lake Macquarie, formerly known as Lake Macquarie City Art Gallery, was established in 1980. First housed in Lake Macquarie’s former council chambers on Main Road at Speers Point, the gallery relocated to First Street, Booragul in 1996.

The gallery originally occupied Awaba House on this site from 1996 to 2000 when a decision was made to construct the new state-of-the-art facility. At the time we visited there had been a fire and Awaba House had been extensively damaged. Launched in May 2001 the new art gallery building saw the addition of an art seminar room in 2008. In 2019, a further expansion provided additional gallery space.

Entrance to MAC
Entrance to Museum of Art and Culture Lake Macquarie

How to Get There

Located at First Street, Booragul, the gallery overlooks Lake Macquarie, providing great views in a relaxing setting. A small car park next to the gallery is convenient, however, if this is full more is available on-street nearby.

Sculpture Park

Located on 5 hectares between the gallery and lakeshore, the Sculpture Park includes work by local and national artists. Launched in 1996, the sculpture park has continued to develop and currently comprises 16 sculptures by 11 artists.

We spent some time walking around the sculptures before entering the gallery.

  • Sculpture Outside the Main Gallery
    Sculpture Outside the Main Gallery
  • Sculpture Outside the Main Gallery
    Sculpture Outside the Main Gallery
  • Mosaic Outside the Main Gallery
    Mosaic Outside the Main Gallery
  • Entrance Walkway
    Entrance Walkway
  • Fish Sculpture on the Entrance Walkway
    Fish Sculpture on the Entrance Walkway

Museum of Art and Culture Lake Macquarie Collection

Comprised of four focus areas, the Visual Arts Collection includes works by highly-regarded national, international and Hunter-based artists.

The collection has a core group of works by established contemporary Australian artists. This includes a number of works by Sir William Dobell, large-scale contemporary sculptures and Indigenous works.

We loved walking around the gallery, because it has great diversity for such a small venue. We found it had a lot to offer and enjoyed our time there. With works ranging from Sir William Dobell to contemporary artists, the collection is worth the visit.

  • Gallery at the Museum of Art and Culture Lake Macquarie
    Gallery at the Museum
  • The First Gallery Museum of Art and Culture Lake Macquarie
    The First Gallery
  • Deanne Newland - Rejuvenating 2
    Deanne Newland – Rejuvenating 2
  • Saretta Fielding - Malang Kateya Part 2
    Saretta Fielding – Malang Kateya Part 2
  • Helen McLachlan - Rejuvenate 2020
    Helen McLachlan – Rejuvenate 2020
  • Susan Ryman - Whispering Pillars
    Susan Ryman – Whispering Pillars
  • Karen Murray - Sentinel Museum of Art and Culture Lake Macquarie
    Karen Murray – Sentinel
  • Bronze Sculpture Museum of Art and Culture Lake Macquarie
    Bronze Sculpture
  • Museum of Art and Culture Lake Macquarie
    Museum of Art and Culture Lake Macquarie
  • Thelma Wawrzonek - Wangi Power Station Ruins
    Thelma Wawrzonek – Wangi Power Station Ruins
  • Maureen Boyle - The Fisherman
    Maureen Boyle – The Fisherman

Coffee Shop

Sculpture Cafe is a licensed venue and offers morning tea, lunch, and afternoon tea. Seating is both inside and on the deck overlooking the Sculpture Park and the lake. We enjoyed morning tea on the deck because of the wonderful views.

View From the Cafe
View From the Cafe

What Did We Think?

We enjoyed our visit because of the diverse range of art on display. The outdoor park was fun to walk around, while the quality works inside were amazing. To add to this was the wonderful location of the coffee shop with its great views.

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Beautiful Wangi Point Circuit Track

Lake Macquarie

Wangi Point Circuit Walking Track

Located on the western shore of Lake Macquarie, the Wangi Point Circuit Walking Track is a great walk through Australian coastal bushland. This 1.8km loop takes about 45 minutes to walk, but took us longer as we took in the wonderful views over the lake. The track is well formed and easy to walk, unless you decide to take some of the offshoots. These can lead down to the lakeshore, and can be steep and rocky, but provide amazing views of the coast and waterways.

Parking

A small parking area on Reserve Road, provides a small area for a limited number of cars. No facilities are provided, so you will need to be prepared before you arrive here. A large map next to the parking area provides directions to the walks in the area and typical walking times.

Wildlife

During our walk, we saw seagulls and cormorants, but white-faced herons and white-breasted sea eagles also live in the area. Other walkers we passed said they saw a seal on one of the rocky beaches, but it was gone when we arrived.

  • The Circuit Walking Track
    The Circuit Walking Track
  • Wangi Point
    Wangi Point
  • Lake Macquarie
    Wangi Point Looking Over Lake Macquarie
  • Lake Macquarie State Conservation Area
    Lake Macquarie State Conservation Area
  • Lake Macquarie
    Lake Macquarie From the Circuit Track

To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.

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Muswellbrook Regional Arts Centre

Part of the Max Watters Collection on Display

Muswellbrook Regional Arts Centre

Located on the corner of Bridge and William Streets in the School of Arts building, the Muswellbrook Regional Arts Centre houses a large collection of local national and international artists. The Muswellbrook School of Arts building is worth admiring because of its architectural beauty.

Entry to the centre is free and the friendly staff on the front counter will explain what is currently on display.

During our visit, we were lucky to have the 2019 Archibald Prize being displayed, which gave us an opportunity to admire that years winners. The Young Archies were also available for viewing, with artwork from young Australians on display.

Local artist Max Watters had several of his works on display, with the Centre holding many more of this art in storage. With the Archibald paintings taking up significant galley space, many pieces from the Centre’s collection were in temporary storage. This was a small price to pay however, to be able to see these other great paintings.

School of Arts Muswellbrook NSW Australia
School of Arts
Tjuparntarri – Women’s Business by David Darcy
Tjuparntarri – Women’s Business by David Darcy
White Shells, Black Heart by Blak Douglas
White Shells, Black Heart by Blak Douglas
Art and War by Anh Do
Art and War by Anh Do
Through The Looking Glass the 2019 Archibald Packing Room Prize by Tessa MacKay
Through The Looking Glass the 2019 Archibald Packing Room Prize by Tessa MacKay
Part of the Max Watters Collection on Display
Part of the Max Watters Collection on Display
Part of the Max Watters Collection on Display
Part of the Max Watters Collection on Display

Upper Hunter Valley Sculpture Trail

Outside the Centre, is the ANZAC Centenary Stone, which forms the start of the Upper Hunter Valley Sculpture Trail. A sign next to the sculpture explains the trail and what is to be found at each location. See our post on the Sculpture Trail if you want to learn more about it.

  • Upper Hunter Valley Sculpture Trail Map
    Upper Hunter Valley Sculpture Trail Map
  • ANZAC Centenary Stone Outside the Muswellbrook Regional Arts Centre
    ANZAC Centenary Stone Outside the Muswellbrook Regional Arts Centre

What Did We Think?

With the bonus of seeing the Archibald Prize, we really enjoyed our visit. There was a great selection of local artists, that would only be better, when the gallery space taken up by the touring exhibition is available. The Arts Centre often has visiting exhibitions on display so check to see what’s on display before you visit.

To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.

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